February 2017: "... The reformed [ICANN] multistakeholder internet governance approach faces significant challenges ... If the multistakeholder model is seen as ineffective in addressing the vulnerabilities that enable cybercrime, or being completely peripheral to the issue, developing economies could question its legitimacy and seek answers in the multilateral system .... "There are also worries that ICANN, the operator of the IANA functions, will abuse its authority and ignore the interests of internet users. In the past, ICANN has been accused of ignoring the views of governments, prioritizing private sector interests, and mismanaging its finances. ICANN recently implemented enhancements to address these and similar concerns. Nevertheless, ensuring that ICANN remains accountable will be critical to demonstrating that the multistakeholder approach works. It will also act as a bulwark against Russian and Chinese efforts at greater intergovernmental control over the internet."--Maintaining U.S. Leadership on Internet Governance | Council on Foreign Relations | cfr.org (emphasis added).

2. Why ICANN multistakeholderism is failing--"industry self-regulation often fails to protect the public"--"lack of transparency, accountability, participation, and representation"--

UPDATE: Shadow Regulation Withers In The Sunlight | Electronic Frontier Foundation | eff.org: "... It’s not surprising that a plan developed in secret, without input from Internet users, would disregard users’ rights. As we’ve explained, truly “healthy” Internet governance requires inclusion, balance, and accountability, all of which were absent here. Public Interest Registry did the right thing by hitting the brakes on this proposal. Its brief announcement today acknowledges the importance of good policy-development processes ..."

"... for the Hyderabad meeting, a single sponsor group proposed a HIT (High Interest Topic) session on DNS and Content Regulation. Initially, the sponsoring group was allowed to select panelists and designate the moderator, who was also part of the sponsoring organization. Through persistence by other stakeholders, panel participation was broadened considerably. Still, during the HIT session, the sponsoring organization opened with a presentation of their position. In our view, this did not meet the level of broad participation of the ICANN community to warrant a high-interest session ..."

Response from Göran Marby, ICANN President & CEO (embedded below, highlighting added)--or how ICANN subtly shuts down free speech, participation, and representation that conflicts with powerful private profit-seeking corporate interests such as represented by BC, IPC, and ISPCP, and the other unelected non-governmental special interests that dominate ICANN--

3.Private Agreements and Antitrust Liability--Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U.S.C. § 45"(a)(1) Unfair methods of competition in or affecting commerce, and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce, are hereby declared unlawful .... (4) (B) All remedies available to the Commission with respect to unfair and deceptive acts or practices shall be available for acts and practices described in this paragraph, including restitution to domestic or foreign victims." (emphasis added)--See Opinion and Order of the Federal Trade Commission (pdf) In the Matter of 1-800 Contacts, Inc., Docket No. 9372 (keyword advertising bidding agreements):

",,, Given that the Complaint alleges liability based only on private agreements that do not constitute government petitioning, 1-800 Contacts’ Third Defense fails .... Because the Complaint alleges that 1-800 Contacts violated Section 5 solely by entering into private bidding agreements, we hold that the Noerr-Pennington doctrine does not apply and 1-800 Contacts’ Third Defense fails as a matter of law. Similarly, because Complaint Counsel need not prove 1-800 Contacts’ lawsuits to be objectively and subjectively unreasonable to establish a Section 5 violation, 1-800 Contacts’ Second Defense also fails. We therefore grant Complaint Counsel’s motion." (emphasis added)

4. How ICANN threatens Domain Name System Security & Stability:

"In 2015, ICANN's compliance department caused financial harm to a domain name registrant because of a minor, perceived inaccuracy in their domain name's WHOIS records. In this instance, the registrant had a mailing address in Virginia and a phone number with a Tennessee area code. While both details were valid, and the registrant was contactable, a "violent criminal” filed a complaint with ICANN alleging that the details were inaccurate. The complaint was accepted by ICANN and passed along to the domain name registrar. The registrar, fearing a non-compliance notice from ICANN, suspended the domain name without performing any investigation into the claim, resulting in the registrant losing access to their business email account and website."--source infra--

5.New study reveals phishers are shifting their sights to ICANN's new gTLDs and the cloud: "A study by cybersecurity firm PhishLabs indicates that the volume of phishing attacks grew by almost one-third last year, with cloud storage brands set to overtake financial services as the top targets. Researchers also found that phishing perpetrators are increasingly turning to new gTLDs to dupe internet users."--WorldTrademarkReview.com(emphasis and link added).

Maltese protest proposed internet news laws: Several thousands people took to the streets of the capital of Malta on Sunday to protest against a new bill that will force Internet news sites to register with the government.--Reuters.com

9. A 'Digital Geneva Convention':"... Just as the Fourth Geneva Convention has long protected civilians in times of war, we now need a Digital Geneva Convention that will commit governments to protecting civilians from nation-state attacks in times of peace. And just as the Fourth Geneva Convention recognized that the protection of civilians required the active involvement of the Red Cross, protection against nation-state cyberattacks requires the active assistance of technology companies. The tech sector plays a unique role as the internet’s first responders, and we therefore should commit ourselves to collective action that will make the internet a safer place, affirming a role as a neutral Digital Switzerland that assists customers everywhere and retains the world’s trust ..."--Brad Smith, Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer, blogs.microsoft.com. See also Bruce Schneier: It's time for internet-of-things regulation | searchsecurity.techtarget.com.

Hands-On with Outlook.com Premium | Thurrott.com: "if you sign up now, “your subscriptions will auto-renew annually at $19.95 (Outlook.com Premium) .... This is an affordable option*, and it’s a nice way for a family to get a custom domain and not be stuck with an outlook.com or hotmail.com address."

See also: "the $20 offer is still available, so if you’re looking to save some money, you might want to move quickly: This offer expires March 31, 2017. Note that you still need to pay for your custom domain. You can do that via an outside registrar or through Microsoft"--Thurrott.com